10 New Songs You Need This Week

Memorial Day is over. The long weekend is done. The hangover is, if not already in full force, setting in now. The serotonin has been drained from bodies and the anxiety of all the responsibilities you’ve put off since last Friday (Thursday if we’re being honest) is creeping back like it always does about this time.

Luckily, music is there to take (some of) the pain away, to nurse you back to optimum mental capacity or at least help carry you through today. Even better, we’ve compiled the 10 best songs from the last week to take away all the pain of actually searching through hundreds of new songs for the gems to make you feel better.

Pusha-T — “If You Know You Know”

After roughly 50 spins of DAYTONA (shout out 7-track albums), singling out one track is a like picking a favorite season of Game of Thrones. They’re all great and serve the greater good of the series as a whole. But choices must be made, and there is no greater exhilaration than “If You Know You Know,” particularly the sheer thrill of the few seconds where the sample first hits. Also, I'd like to express my frustration over Pusha-T bringing back the hyphen in his name when it isn't present on any streaming services.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

A$AP Rocky — “Purity” ft. Frank Ocean

Much has been said about A$AP Rocky’s new album in the DJBooth Slack, most of it negative, and the positives more defensive than actual praise. Personally, I appreciate TESTING as a proving ground for original ideas, even if not every record lands, and believe there’s enough to love even if the great moments don’t always add up to great songs, especially on the album's back half. “Purity” pairs an unusually introspective Rocky with nearly 30 bars from Frank Ocean to end the album on its strongest note.

Denzel Curry — “Percs”

Despite being one of the torchbearers for hip-hop's younger generation over the last half decade, Denzel Curry has always resisted chasing trends in favor of doubling down on his own intuitions. With “Percs,” he forcefully distances himself from what he sees as a watering and dumbing down from peers lacking his conviction. Instead of preachy, he just sounds fed up.

Drake — "Duppy Freestyle"

Before Drake was upset, he was marveling at the audacity of Pusha-T, and aiming an "Infrared" response at the heads of G.O.O.D. Music’s heads in what was a pretty solid diss track. I can't help but wonder how Quentin Miller and Virgil Abloh felt after hearing it.

Zaytoven — “Mo Reala” ft. Future

We’ve finally received confirmation that Beast Mode 2 does, in fact, exist and will be gracing our ears soon. "Mo Reala," the outro to Zaytoven’s new Trapholizay album, is just one more reason why the wait should be worth it, a glistening, motivational fade to black from two of Atlanta’s best collaborators.

Jorja Smith — “February 3rd”

Another engrossing single from the 20-year-old English singer, and my favorite of the singles from her forthcoming Lost & Found album.

Boogie — “Self Destruction”

The Boogie from the West Coast continues a post-Shady signing hot streak with an ominous, self-destructive new single where he admits to drunk-texting SZA and getting no reply. The music video is a must-watch.

Jay Prince — "In the Morning”

Jay Prince’s new EP, Cherish, released on Friday, is so primed for summertime listening that you'll forgive me for including its breezy lead single a few weeks after it was originally released.

Clairo — "Hello?" Rejjie Snow

19-year-old singer/songwriter Clairo and Dublin native Rejjie Snow cutting through the late-night haze for a dreamy song about infatuation.

James Blake — “Don’t Miss It”

Don’t call James Blake a “sad boy,” but don’t deny the emotional impact of his music, either. His latest single, “Don’t Miss It,” is a gutting transmission from the conflicted mind of an introvert.